It’s been over a year since I started this BiHSports blog, dedicated to fill a void in Bosnian sports coverage in the English language and while I’ve written articles about our teams and athletes in several different sports to date, one that I haven’t actually gotten to cover yet is our individuals in the world of combat sports.

Combat sports is just a general broad term where there are multiple disciplines to choose from, including boxing, kickboxing, judo, taekwondo, and mixed martial arts among others. While I’ve written about our athletes in the world of team sports like football and basketball, I haven’t gotten the chance to write about our athletes in fighting sports and now is the time to change that.

Mixed Martial Arts (MMA)

Mirsad Bektić is undoubtedly the most exciting Bosnian in the world of MMA at the moment. He has an amateur background in the sport where he was 4-0 and has been even more impressive at the professional level where he has an 11-0 record to date. Despite some injury layoffs, his stock has been increasingly rising since his UFC debut and with his upcoming bout against Darren Elkins at UFC 209 next month, he has the chance to cement himself as a serious player in the organization’s featherweight division and push on for a potential opportunity to face the likes of Anthony Pettis, Chad Mendes, Max Holloway, Jose Aldo, or even, dare I say, Conor McGregor. At 25, he still has plenty of time on his side, but the opportunity to become an impact player could present itself soon for him if he can manage to keep bolstering his win record as he begins to mix it with some of the better competitors in his respective weight class.

Bektić isn’t the only Bosnian in UFC nowadays either. Elvis Mutapćić has been competing in the organization since the start of last year and while he failed to gain a victory in his first three bouts, he still boasts an impressive 15-5 record overall at pro level. Damir Hadžović is also a UFC fighter having become one last April, but has only had one fight to date and given that he’s only lost 3 times in 13 matches professionally, it’s reasonable to believe that it won’t be his last either.

Denis Stojnić opened the door for his fellow countrymen to enter by becoming the first Bosnian to compete in UFC back in 2009 and although his stint there didn’t last long as he lost both of his fights, including one to Cain Velazquez, he’s been doing well for himself ever since. He’s won eight of his nine bouts since leaving UFC and has been undefeated ever since but his tender age of 37 means that it’s unlikely that he’ll get an opportunity to compete at that level again, even if he’s stated that he’s open to doing so on countless occasions in the past.

Aside from UFC, there’s a handful of interesting Bosnian martial artists competing in FFC, a Croatian-based organization that’s currently considered to be one of the fastest growing MMA promotions in the world. Roberto Soldić is their current welterweight champion and is set to defend his belt against Rafal Lewon next month. Ahmed Vila and Tomislav Spahović also fight in FFC, with 5-1 and 8-6 records respectively.

There’s also St. Louis-native Fazlo Mulabitinović who competes for Bellator and has a 3-2 record as a pro MMA fighter as of now while there is also San Jose resident J.J. Okanovich who’s 3-1 to date and has a meeting with Paradise Vaovasa on the horizon next weekend at Bellator 172.

Boxing

Adnan Čatić, also known as Felix Sturm, is the most well known Bosnian boxer in the world as well as being the most experienced and accomplished. At 38 now, Čatić has a 40-6-3 record and is nearing the end of a career that saw him hold four championships, including two world titles, and face the legendary Oscar de la Hoya back in 2004. While there may still be a few matches or even one more title run left in him, it won’t be long before Čatić puts his gloves up and we pay homage to unarguably Bosnia’s greatest boxer ever.

Damir Beljo is the second biggest name in Bosnian boxing with a 22-0 record as a cruiserweight which is a solid achievement for someone who came into the sport professionally late at the age of 28.  Only fellow cruiserweight Goran Delić comes close to his dominance from the rest with a record of 30-1 but at 43, he’s just about ready to retire unlike Beljo. Slaviša Simeunović is the only other Bosnian with over 20 pro wins to his name with an above average 26-20 record.

The trio of Janjanins with Draan (14-10), Milo (7-3), and Sladan (20-1) are Bosnian boxing’s most successful family at the moment with only 14 defeats in 55 pro fights between the Prijedor-based triumvirate. With all three still being on the right side of 30, there’s still plenty of time for them to enjoy success in European boxing and continue building on their remarkable story as they continue to grow in a sport they’ve only been a part of professionally for four years.

There’s also some interesting prospects who are unbeaten like Edin Puhalo (9-0), Mirsad Čebo (9-0), Mirko Tintor (6-0), and Enid Numanović (5-0) that have plenty of room to grow. As far as the female boxers go, there aren’t any real standout names like a atić or a Beljo in terms of popularity or achievement but there are some decent competitors in Irma Balijagić, Aida Halać, and Hasna Tukić who are 16-7, 7-2, and 8-5 respectively.

There’s also Haris Radmilović (8-16), Nikola Matić (14-33), Jasmin Hasić (8-3), Enes Zećirević (15-2), Ermin Avdić (10-1), Adnan Žilić (13-23), and Paša Malagić (11-4), whose records are listed as follows.

Kickboxing

When you think of Bosnian kickboxers, you think of Dževad Poturak. Devad is BiH’s most accomplished athlete in this sport with several accolades to his name and a handsome looking 52-28-1 record to boot. His brother Dženan isn’t anywhere near as successful with a less than impressive record, particularly in FFC where he has yet to win a match.

Someone who’s not only won a match in FFC, but is actually holding the promotion’s middleweight championship is Denis Marjanović who’s won each of his last three fights and has a 42-12-1 record overall. Other FFC kickboxers include Igor Emkić who’s record is a mightily impressive 27-2-0, Elmir Mehić who is 23-6-0 overall, and Marin Čarapina and Mesud Selimović who are both winless to date.

There are also Asim Selimović, Bahrudin Mahmić, Semir Delić, and Elmin Živćić who, among others, represent the country on a national level for tournaments, but none of which have accomplished anything major on an individual level as of yet.

Judo

Larisa Cerić is Bosnia’s best judoka right now, having managed to win numerous European Cups with countless medals to her name, including a silver one at the European Judo Championships in 2014, and represented the nation at the Olympic level last summer in Brazil. At 26 years of age, she’s already achieved plenty in the sport but still has more to accomplish yet, particularly on the continental and world scene.

Aleksandra Samardžić is a prospective talent at 19 that has what it takes to perhaps even overtake the heights that Cerić has reached in her career so far. She’s already been very successful with multiple achievements at cadet and junior level and became the youngest European Cup winner at senior level in 2015. She’s come a long way in just four years and is viewed as one of the biggest judo talents the country has ever had and the question is now just over whether she can realize her potential to the absolute maximum.

18-year old Toni Miletić is another talent that’s only been around for a couple of years in the game, but has managed to achieve an impressive amount of success already with bronze medals at the World Cadet Championships and Balkan Championships. 20-year old Harun Sadiković has also accumulated several awards at various levels and is another judoka with a bright future in a sport where Bosnia seem to have plenty to look forward to in the coming years.

Taekwondo

And last but not least, in this sport there isn’t a whole lot to shout about currently for BiH. Samir Selimović and Emir Kaljanac are the best two males with 12-5 and 16-2 records respectively while the best two females are Amila Karić and Sumeja Fejzić with 6-1 and 8-2 records respectively. Other competitors with positive records include Fatima Bijelić (8-3), Dejlana Kovaćević (3-0), Irfan Babić (9-5), and Armin Gredić (4-1).

On the surface of things, the future looks bright for Bosnia in combat sports. More and more MMA fighters are making names for themselves at the European level or transitioning into UFC, there’s several judo talents to look out for, and there’s a decent crop of athletes in both boxing and kickboxing as well. Keeping track of all their progress will be interesting as they continue to grow into bigger stars.

CREDIT FOR PHOTO: The Fan Garage